Salt Spring Chamber

WINTER WANDER - Late Night Shopping

Events, Concerts & Meetings
November 24, 2022

PRINT THIS PASSPORT! Bring this passport with you and stroll the shops of Ganges. Collect 3 of 4 District stamps by making purchase at participating […]

Centennial Park Christmas Light-LIGHT UP

Events, Concerts & Meetings
November 18, 2022

Your Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce is kicking off the Holiday season in Centennial Park for the annual Christmas Light-LIGHT UP on Friday November 25th. […]

‘Love Local’ across the Southern Gulf Islands - Enjoy Mayne Island

All spring, the Chambers of Commerce from Galiano, Mayne, Pender, Saturna, and Salt Spring have been ‘island hopping’, showing local residents how to shop, eat, and stay where their hearts are— here in our interconnected island communities. Our last stop on this Southern Gulf Islands tour is Mayne Island, and just in time to plan your own island hopping adventure with Tour Des Iles this weekend, June 24-26. S,ḴŦAḴ, the SENĆOŦEN name for what we call Mayne Island in English, is both peaceful and active, offering meaningful recreation year-round. Among its eclectic and welcoming residents, you’ll find boating, hiking, biking, nature touring, shopping, dining, beach combing, and just "chillin", as the islanders say. The passion for supporting local is especially strong here so be sure to peruse its many galleries and studios scattered around the island; head to Terrill Welch Gallery for landscape paintings, Water’s Edge Silver for nature-inspired sterling silver jewelry, and Qu…

How to ‘Love Local’ across the Southern Gulf Islands - Find an oasis on Galiano Island

The Chambers of Commerce from Galiano, Mayne, Pender, Saturna, and Salt Spring have been ‘island hopping’ this spring, encouraging local residents to shop, eat, and stay where their hearts are. Because our communities are interconnected, supporting our neighbour islands strengthens our region as a whole. Our next stop on this Southern Gulf Islands tour is Galiano Island: tag along! Known as the gem of the Salish Sea, Galiano Island boasts an impressive list of trails and some of the most creative food west of the mainland. Find cliffside views, views, and more views with a visit to the Bluffs, a hike up Mount Galiano, or by exploring Bodega Ridge Provincial Park. Meander the shoreline at one of the island’s 69 shore access points or with an afternoon at Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park, with its white shell beaches, open meadows, and tidal lagoons. Or adventure to an isolated refuge with incredible sandstone formations at Dionisio Point Provincial Park which is access…

How to ‘Love Local’ across the Southern Gulf Islands - Explore the unexplored on Saturna Island

Keeping the spirit of ‘Love Local’ alive, the Chambers of Commerce from Galiano, Mayne, Pender, Saturna, and Salt Spring invite you to continue shopping, eating, and staying where your heart is. Our next stop on our Southern Gulf Islands tour is Saturna Island: join us! Wilderness and rural scenery abound in the unhurried serenity that is Saturna Island. With the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve protecting over half the island’s landscape, you can find the time and space to watch the eagles soar above, the orcas swim past, and the sun sink out of the sky. Whether you choose to cycle across the island, sleep under the stars, kayak beneath ancient cliffs, or hike along the highest point in the Islands, a visit to Saturna means being part of its cozy island family, if only for a moment. A drive to the top of Mount Warburton Pike is one activity that’s not to be missed. Take in the stunning view of Vancouver Island, the San Juan Islands, and the Olympic Peninsula while hiki…

How to ‘Love Local’ across the Southern Gulf Islands - Enjoy rural recreation on Pender Island

As part of our first regional ‘Love Local’ campaign, the Chambers of Commerce from Galiano, Mayne, Pender, Saturna, and Salt Spring invite you to shop, eat, and stay where your heart is—across the Southern Gulf Islands. Our first stop is Pender Island; come along. A mix of the charming, modern, and pastoral, Pender Island shares the lush forests and picturesque coves that are common across our five islands. With casual rolling farmlands, small mountains boasting unmatched views, and the most public beach access points of any of the gulf islands, it’s an impressive destination for a weekend away. Better yet, there are plenty of activities to keep you entertained for even longer. If you’re the type to stretch your sea legs, check out Pender Island Kayak Adventures at Port Browning Marina. Offering both rentals and tours, their safety knowledge and friendly demeanour will make sure your day is non-stop fun. For a different perspective, or longer camps and retreats, contact …

This Winter, ‘Love Local’ across the Southern Gulf Islands

Have you ever walked into a small, locally-owned business and enjoyed a warm welcome and a friendly conversation? Have you left with a hike recommendation, a tip on an upcoming event, or a unique, handmade item? This kind of interaction is exactly what you can expect at the small businesses across the Southern Gulf Islands. It’s more than a transaction, it’s an experience in community connection. This year, for the first time, the Chambers of Commerce from Galiano, Mayne, Pender, Saturna, and Salt Spring have come together in support of Love Local, a joint effort to foster a sustainable, creative and exciting future for our interconnected communities and to help all those who love our islands participate in keeping them special. Though separated by channels and passes, the familiar sense of boundless imagination and unfiltered innovation can be found in every one of our communities. It’s part of why we love it here. And it’s the creativity and the vision of our artisans, …

Salt Spring 2020 Cheer Challenge Photo Contest - Let's Keep the Cheer Here!

Support, buy, visit, explore, entertain and celebrate local for the holidays right here on Salt Spring Island! Take a new photo of you (or your friends, dog, partner, etc.) doing any one of the 100 activities in our cheer challenge (listed below) and submit your photos each week (using the form below) to win weekly local prizes and one of our three amazing grand prizes! Watch: How do to the cheer challenge! https://youtu.be/PvUgwEi07tE How it works! Take a new photo of you (or your friends, dog, partner, etc.) doing any of the 100 cheer challenges listed below between November 16th and December 18th, 2020 Submit your photo entries each week here on the Salt Spring Exchange using the form below for your chance to win weekly prizes Agree to the Salt Spring Cheer Challenge Rules when submitting your entry Then share the love! Then also share your photos on social media with #saltspringcheer to help families in need For every photo shared with #saltsp…

Salt Spring Chamber Welcomes New President

It is with much anticipation that we welcome Darryl Martin as the new Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce President. Darryl began his time on the Chamber Board as an individual member in June 2019. Darryl was previously the Chair and a Commissioner on the Salt Spring Community Economic Development Commission, as well as alternate to CRD Director Wayne Macintyre before becoming a board member of the Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce in 2019. With this change comes recognition of Li Read, the Chamber’s President from June 2013. Li took over the presidency role after spending two years on the Board of Directors. She guided the Chamber of Commerce through difficult and successful times, and remained in the role until November 4, 2020. A special thank you to Li for all her time and dedication to the Chamber. Darryl is looking forward to accelerating the Chamber’s efforts to help businesses during the pandemic and prepare to do business in the changed economy. He also a…

Nominations Now Open for the Salt Spring Chamber's 2020 Salty Awards

The Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Windsor Plywood, with support from the Salt Spring Exchange, is excited to announce that the 2020 Salty Award nominations are open! This year’s awards will look different than previous years, focusing on businesses and organizations that have demonstrated resilience and ability to adapt in this year’s challenging business environment. There will be 10 business awards centered around resilience, community, service and innovation and one community award in honour of Matt Steffich, a long time Chamber board member and the MC of the annual Salty Awards Gala, highlighting his commitment to the Salt Spring Island community. The selection system will also be different this year. Nominations and voting will still take place online, followed by the top of each category being judged by a panel. We’re introducing the popular vote / judging panel combination to ensure that deserving businesses and individuals are consid…

Be a Local and “Name the Local Campaign” Contest!

Win a gift basket of local goodies! - What’s in a name? Everything! In this time of crisis, there have been ongoing calls across the island asking folks to live, breathe, sleep, eat and shop Salt Spring. Let’s make that happen together! We’ve all heard the cliché wording, everything from “SHOP the ROCK” to “Resilient Are Us”, to “Bake It, Make It, Shake It LOCAL”. We’d love a name that comes from you and that’s why we’re asking the community for help. Our goal is to create a message, a local campaign slogan, or name that makes you feel proud to be a Salt Spring Local, one that supports your neighbours, friends and family by investing funds and energy into all aspects of our community. Who benefits? Small producers, farmers, artisans, local businesses, YOU, our environment and everyone who values who we are and what we do as islanders. Salt Spring is more than an island. It’s a community, a culture and a mindset. Let’s celebrate our community’s identity and bring out th…

COVID-19: Salt Spring Chamber Addresses Current Community Challenges

Salt Spring Island and its residents have a long history of happily welcoming thousands of visitors all year around. We are proud of our safe community and love sharing it with people from around the world. Given the situation, we ask that you stay safely in your home to help our island, province and country deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our community, like other small communities, has very limited resources to deal with the pandemic. It is important that our essential services are not overwhelmed by an added risk from an influx of visitors. Salt Spring Island will be here when it’s over. We are working hard to make sure that the wonderful shops, restaurants, cafes, artisans, farmers, tour companies, accommodations and adventure operators that make Salt Spring what it is, are able to open again. We need to ensure that our businesses, their owners, their employees, and all community members remain safe and healthy so that they can offer you the world-class service that the…

COVID-19: How to Help Local Businesses Through the Pandemic

Social distancing, cancelled events, self-isolation,and working from home are supposed to help “lower the curve” of the spread of COVID-19, but it is likely to leave our local small businesses suffering. Without discounting the importance of public health and safety, it is also important to recognize that small businesses are going to need help to get through the pandemic. Unfortunately, the virus hits us at a tough time for business on Salt Spring, especially those that depend on the seasonal influx of visitors. Businesses are typically ramping up to welcome visitors to the island, whereas now they are trying to figure out how to keep their staff employed, pay rent, keep the lights on and their doors open. The Federal Governments announced a Small and Medium Business aid package, however we are unsure what that will look like for local businesses. In turn, individuals can definitely do their part. Here are a few things we can all do to get our small business through t…

Voting for the 2019 Salty Awards - The People Have Chosen!

Voting for the Community and Business Awards is Now Closed - The Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that the Salty Awards for Business and Community will be presented at a Gala Dinner on November 14th at the Harbour House Hotel at 6 pm. Online voting took place on saltspringchamber.com between October 8 and 25, and once again the number of votes was significantly greater than in the previous two years. 2840 validated ballots were cast for the Business Awards and over 2300 for the nine Community Award categories Several categories were hotly contested ‐ a dozen or fewer votes separated the top three finalists in several categories ‐ Market Vendor or Artisan, Top Green Business, both Entrepreneur categories (over and under 40), and Top Customer Service. A single vote separated the first and second place Barber, Stylist or Spa Service category and two tiny votes separated the first and second place winners among the 109 Tradespeople that were nominated. …

2019 Salt Spring Chamber Salty Awards - Vote Now for Your Community & Business Award Choices

Make someone you know a Salty Award winner! - Presenting the Salt Spring Community & Business Awards! Winners will receive a Salty Award and 29 awards will be given out two areas – Business and Community. You can nominate one business or community group/area per session during the nomination process. You will then be able to vote for 1 business or community service per category. We will limit the number of times IP addresses can be used to twice for nominating and twice for voting. Nominations will take place from September 12th to October 2nd. Nominations are open to all Salt Spring based locations, groups and businesses. You do not need to be a Salt Spring resident to nominate or vote for someone for a Salty Award. After the nominations are closed, voting will take October 8th to the 25th. After that date the voting will be closed and results will be tabulated. The awards will be presented on November 14th at an Awards Dinner. Details to follow – mark your cal…

2019 Home & Garden Show

Introducing the Salt Spring Island Home & Garden Show presented by Mouat’s Trading! March 16th and 17th – what a great weekend to be on Salt Spring Island as we host the Salt Spring Home & Garden Show., This great community focused event showcases local designers, landscapers, construction and trades professionals, along with service and recreation providers. Admission to the event is FREE and attendees could win some great prizes. All events are at the Salt Spring Farmers Institute. Friday Evening, March 15th from 5pm-8pm – You are invited to a Salt Spring Home & Garden Show Welcome Reception and cash bar pre-show gathering. There will be a fun, festive atmosphere with music and free food. Meet with the local trades, construction, home services, landscape companies and home décor vendors and mingle with fellow attendees. The Welcome Reception is sponsored by Windsor Plywood. Saturday, March 16th from 9am-4pm and Sunday, March 17th from 10am-3pm – Join us at the Salt Spri…

Salt Spring Chamber - Green Tourism Canada Accredited

The Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce has again been recognized and re-accredited by Green Tourism Canada. We become Canada’s first Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Centre to become accredited members of Green Tourism Canada in 2016. Our “silver” re-accreditation was made official on August 3rd, 2018. We are proud to be working within this program to show our commitment to environmental sustainability and to promote Salt Spring Island’s reputation as an eco-friendly community where business and nature work together in harmony! The following was in our accreditation report from Green Tourism Canada: “The Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Centre is a good representative of their Island. From both perspectives they heavily support their members and community and under the direction of Janet Clouston they have an environmental warrior at the heart of it all. Most supported initiatives have an environmental and cultural stance, like "Every Drop Counts", "Shop Local…

2018 Salt Spring Island Home & Garden Show

Introducing the Salt Spring Island Home & Garden Show presented by Mouat’s Trading! March 17th and 18th - what a great weekend to be on Salt Spring Island as we host the Salt Spring Home & Garden Show. If you are a fan of HGTV, you will want to be at this great event showcasing local designers, landscapers, construction and trades professionals, along with service and recreation providers. Admission to the event is FREE and attendees could win some great prizes. All events are at the Salt Spring Farmers Institute. Friday Evening, March 16th from 5pm-8pm - You are invited to a Salt Spring Home & Garden Show Welcome Reception and cash bar pre-show gathering. There will be a fun, festive atmosphere with music and free food. Meet with the local trades, construction, home services, landscape companies and home décor vendors and mingle with fellow attendees. The Welcome Reception is sponsored by Windsor Plywood. Saturday, March 17th from 9am-4pm and Sunday, March 18th from 10a…

Video: 2017 Salty Community and Business Awards

The Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce took a fresh approach to the Business Awards this year. The awards were broken into 2 categories, Community and Business Awards. Voting was done entirely by the community online rather then by closed vote. Winners received a 'Salty Award' and over 50 awards were given out in the two different areas. This new awards approach replaces the Salt Spring Business Excellence Awards with a process that has Salt Spring residents and fans nominating and voting for the winners! Watch the highlight reel video with interviews with many of nominees and footage from each of the awards events.

Salt Spring’s 2017 Community & Business Awards!

Presenting Salt Spring’s community & business awards! Vote for your favourite community organizations, people and businesses. Winners will receive a Salty Award in two areas – Community and Business.. Nominations took place from August 15th to September 15th and were open to all Salt Spring based locations, groups and businesses, who did not need to be Chamber members to be nominated or to win an award. Salt Spring residents and “friends of Salt Spring” can now vote for someone for a Salty Award. Voting will take place through October 10th, 2017. After that date the voting will be closed and results will be tabulated. The Community Awards will be presented at a reception on Tuesday, October 17th at 6 pm at Meadon Hall. Tickets are $10 +GST to attend with a cash bar, appetizers and entertainment. The Business Awards will be presented at a gala on Thursday, October 19th at 6 pm at Meadon Hall. Tickets are $40 + GST and include a catered buffet dinner, cash bar and enter…

Salt Spring Island’s 2015 Small Business Awards Handed Out

The 2015 Salt Spring Island Business Awards drew a great crowd of local Salt Spring entrepreneurs to ArtSpring on Thursday, October 22nd. Award winners in 10 categories were on hand to receive their trophies in front of a supportive group of fellow local business owners, non-profit groups and customers. “Small business is the heart of our Island” said Chamber President Li Read. “Without you, many of the services we count on every day in our lives would not be possible. Congratulations to the local business people in this room and keep up the great work!!” The evening, sponsored by Island Savings, and supported by the Driftwood Gulf Islands Media, capped off a great year for small businesses on Salt Spring. In addition to an excellent tourism season on the Island, local businesses are being supported through “Shop Local” programs. Over 150 people were there to cheer each other on at this fun and festive event. With wonderful catering provided by Haidee Hart of Stowel La…

Shop Local Salt Spring Island

The Salt Spring Chamber of Commerce is proud to present our new Shop Local program! All of our members have the opportunity to participate in this great initiative that will support their businesses and create positive community spirit! Locally-owned businesses return about 80% of each dollar to their community. And each dollar spent at a local business will return up to five times that amount within our community through taxes, employees’ wages, and purchases of materials, supplies and services at other independent businesses. By staying on-island and purchasing groceries, clothing, services, building supplies and professional services you are supporting your neighbours, friends and their families and creating a sustainable Salt Spring Island. This initiative is brought to you by the 300+ members of the Salt Spring Island Chamber of Commerce, serving the community since 1948. Thank you for Shopping Local, Salt Spring Island. Community, Jobs, Environment